Card feeder for wrapping machines



J. C. TRAVIS April 15, 1969 CARD FEEDER FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Sheet of 3 Filed June 29, 1964 J. C, TRAVSS April 15, 1969 CARD FEEDER FOR WRAPPING MACHINES l 1%/ 3 .Nmy NN er .Tv ||l. C@ wl lIw/ Em W .t Q QN. M 9 l 9, n Dna u Tu d mw .1 FL

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Y CARD FEEDER FOR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed June 29, 1964 Sheet 5 of 3 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 156-585 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A card feeder which feeds a strip of cardboard to a wrapping machine, cuts the cardboard into individual cards and projects the individual cards into the wrapping mechanism of the machine by means of rapidly rotating projecting rolls. The card feeder is automatically stopped by a limit switch responding to absence of cardboard strip.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an automatic card feeder particularly designed for wrapping machines wherein a cardboard strip from a supply roll thereof is positively transported through the card feeder, cut into cards, and the cards provided with corrugations and thereupon projected from the card feeder by means of projecting rolls.

One object of the invention is to provide a card feeder wherein a rst feed roll has circumferentially spaced projections to engage in spaced openings of a cardboard strip for positively transporting the strip upon rotation of the feed roll.

Another object is to provide cut-olf means following the rst feed roll consisting of opposite mounted stationary and rotatable knives which have cutting edges on opposite sides of the cardboard strip to cut through the thickness of the strip and thereby sever it into individual cards before feeding the cards to a wrapping machine.

Still another object is to provide carry-out rolls following the cut-off knives for carrying the cards away therefrom.

A further object is to provide projecting rolls for picking up the card and rapidly projecting it into the wrapping machine.

Still a further object is to provide between the carryout rolls and the projecting rolls, a set of corrugating rolls for corrugating the cards and thereby proventing them from returning to their initial curvature produced lby the initial rolling of the cardboard strip on a supply roll.

An additional object is to provide rneans to effect stoppage of the wrapping machine upon the exhaustion of the supply of cardboard strip.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my card feeder for wrapping machines, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter rnore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a side elevation of an automatic card feeder for wrapping machines and is particularly designed for a wrapping machine of the character shown in McVicker et al. Patent No. 3,150,474;

FIG. 2 is a semi-diagrammatic view showing the essential card feeder rolls of FIG. l and the gearing therefor;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation looking at the right-hand end of FIG. l;

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FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a slightly enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. l;

FIG. 7 is a further enlargement of the central portion of FIG. 6 to show more clearly the corrugations in the cardboards; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a frame plate which may be part of a wrapping machine (not shown) or mounted on the frame of a wrapping machine. A second frame plate 12 is rigidly mounted on the frame plate 10 in spaced relation thereto as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A rst feed roll 14 is mounted on a shaft 15 and is provided with circumferentially spaced projections 16. A preliminary roll 1S is provided which is journaled for free rotation on a stub shaft 19 supported by the frame plate 10. A cardboard strip CS extends therearound as shown in FIG. l after passing over an idler roll 20, the cardboard strip being supplied from a supply roll thereof (not shown) but which is shown in the patent above referred to.

The preliminary roll 18 has a circumferential groove 22 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 opposite which is a roller 24 of an actuating arm 26 of a limit switch LS.

As shown in FIG. l a cycle shaft 28 is illustrated which is a shaft of the wrapping machine that rotates once each cycle of operations. This shaft is utilized to drive my card feeder mechanism and is provided with an electrically operated clutch 30, the shaft 28 being driven 'by a motor M as shown diagrammatically. An operative connection 32 is also shown diagrammatically between the limit switch LS and the clutch 30 so that when the limit switch is in the position shown the clutch remains effective to transmit rotation from the motor M (through suitable step-down gearing, of course) to the shaft 28. However, when the actuating arm 26 drops down by reason of eX- haustion of the supply of cardboard strip CS, the roller 24 drops into the groove 22 and the clutch is thereby operated to declutch the cycle shaft 28 from the motor M. The operative connection 32 may include the usual electric circuit and/ or hydraulic and/ or pneumatic circuit which, however, form no part of my present invention and are therefore not illustrated in detail.

The cardboard strip CS is perforated as indicated at 36 at spaced intervals and the circumferential distance between the projections 16 of the first feed roll 14 correspond to such spacing. Thus the projections enter the perforations for positive transport of the cardboard strip upon rotation of the roll 14.

In order to insure proper following of the cardboard around the left side of the first feed roll 14 in FIG. 1, a shoe 34 is provided having an arcuate face against the periphery of the roll, and is biased to engage the same (and thereby the cardboard when extending around the feed roll) by means of springs 38. As shown in FIG. 8 the feed roll 14 has side anges 40, between which the shoe 34 is positioned. In order to prevent buckling of the cardboard strip as it leaves the feed roll a second and stationary shoe 42 is provided having grooves 44 to accommodate the flanges 40 and a groove 45 to accommodate the projections 16 as shown in FIG. 8. The shoe 42 is secured to a mounting plate 46 which in turn is supported by an angle bracket 48 on the frame plate 10 and is provided with a stop screw 50 engaging the top of the frame plate 12 for adjusting the position of the shoe 42 relative to the circumference of the feed roll 14.

The cardboard strip CS issuing from the first feed roll 14 encounters cut-olf means in the form of opposite knives 52 and 54 (FIG. 2), the knife 52 being rotatable and the knife 54 stationary. The knife 52 is carried by a drum 53 (FIG. 5) on a shaft 56. The cutting edges of these knives coincide on opposite sides of the cardboard strip CS as best shown in FIG. 2 and cut through the thickness thereof when the knife 52 reaches a position of coincidence with the knife 54 to sever cards C from the strip.

On the downstream side of the cut-off knives 52 and 54 are carry-out rolls 60, 62, 64 and 66 (see FIG. 2) which frictionally engage the cards C and carry them to crimping rolls 68 and 70. After leaving the crimping rolls, the cards encounter projecting rolls 72 and 74.

With respect to the crimping rolls 68 and 70, they are provided with circumferential grooves 76 and circumferential beads 78, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Accordingly, they impress corrugations 80 into the cards C to stilfen them against bending back to their initial curvature produced by the fact that the cardboard strip comes from a supply roll, and particularly when the supply roll reduces to a small diameter and there is therefore considerable curvature to the cardboard strip.

The projecting rolls 72 and 74 engage the corrugated cards C with light friction, and are rotated at much higher speed than the feed roll 14, and the carry-out rolls 60, 62, 64, 66 and the crimping rolls 68 and 70 so that as soon as the cards are released by the crimping rolls they are projected rapidly into the wrapping machine which picks them up at properly spaced intervals and feeds them one at a time through the feed station of the wrapping machine Where articles are placed on the cards and they then pass on to the wrapping mechanism in the usual manner for Wrapping the card and the product in a suitable wrapper as disclosed in the above mentioned patent.

The carry out rolls 62 and 66 and the crimping rolls 68 and 70 as well as the cut-olf knife 52 are all driven in synchronism with each other and with the cycle shaft 28 as will now be described. The shaft 56 is driven from the shaft 28 by a chain 82 and the carry out roll 62 is driven therefrom through gears 84 and 86. The gear 86 has a pinion 88 as shown in FIG. 5 which drives a gear 90 on a freely rotatable stub shaft 58. A pinion 92 on the stub shaft drives a gear 94 on the shaft 15 whereby the first feed roll is driven.

The feed roll 66 and the crimping roll 70 are driven by means of gears 94a and 96 on their shafts, the gear 94a being driven from the pinion 88 by means of an idler gear 98 and the gear 96 being driven from the gear 94a by means of an idler gear 100. The crimping roll 68 is driven from the roll 70 by meshing gears 69 and 71 respectively as shown in FIG. 6.

The projecting roll 74 is rotated at high speed by means of a belt 102 from a motor 104 shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. the feed roll 62 has a pair of grooves 106 to accommodate a pair of card supporting rods 108. The feed roll 66 is similarly grooved. The extent of these rods is shown in FIG. 1, from adjacent the rst feed roll 14 to adjacent the crimping rolls 68 and 70 (except interrupted at the knife 54). The rods support the cards C between the feed rolls. As soon as the upstream cut-off end of a card leaves the rolls 68 and 70 the rolls 72 and 74 effect projection of the card into the wrapping machine as above described.

The feed rolls 60 and 64, the crimping roll 68 and the projecting roll 72 are not positively driven but are driven by their contact with the upper surfaces of the cards C. All four of these rolls are mounted in a rollcarrying frame 110 with respect to which they are biased downwardly by springs 112 for the rolls 60 and 64, 114 for the rolls 68 and 116 for the roll 72. The tension of the spring 116 is light so that the projecting rolls 72 and 74 may slip relative to the card C until the rolls 68 and 70 release it. As shown in FIG. 5 the roll 60 is quite narrow-more in the form of a disc than a roll-and the same is true for the roll 64. The roll 68, however, is full Width of the cardboard strip as shown in FIG. 7 whereas the roll 72 is again disc-like in character as shown in FIG. 4 while the roll 74 is narrow enough to engage the card between the corrugations so that whether or not the corrugations are present the card will be properly projected by the rolls 72 and 74.

The roll supporting frame is pivoted at 118 as shown in FIG. 1 and has a toggle connection 120 at the end opposite the pivot which can be released so that the entire assembly of frame 110 and rolls 60, 64, 68 and 72 may be swung upwardly about the pivot to clear cardboard jams. The tension of the springs 114 for the crimping rolls is somewhat critical and, accordingly, wing nuts 122 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 are provided to change this adjustment, and to permit removal of the crimping roll 68 (not shown in FIG. 3) if it is undesirable to provide the cards with corrugations.

From the foregoing specification it will be obvious that I have provided an automatic card feeder for wrapping machines which accomplishes the objects contemplated and provides a positive drive for a cardboard strip in order to cut the same into accurate lengths and feed them into a wrapping machine.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my card feeder without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a card feeder for wrapping machines, a first feed roll having circumferentially spaced projections to engage in spaced openings of a cardboard strip to positively transport the strip upon rotation of the roll, cut-oft' means coacting with the cardboard strip to cut the same into cards as it issues from said rst feed roll, carry-out rolls to engage the cutcards and carry them away from said cut-olf means, and card projecting rolls to engage the cut cards as they issue from said carry-out rolls, said card projecting rolls rotating faster than said carry-out rolls and frictionally engaging the cards to project them away from said carry-out rolls as soon as they are released thereby.

2. A card feeder for wrapping machines according to claim 1 wherein a shoe is provided partly encircling said rst feed roll and biased theretoward to direct the cardboard strip around said iirst feed roll.

3. A card feeder for wrapping machines according to claim 2 wherein crimping rolls are provided between said carry-out rolls and said projecting rolls to crimp a corrugation into the cards.

4. A card feeder for wrapping machines according to claim 2 wherein said iirst feed roll has side flanges and said shoe is located between said flanges.

S. A card feeder for wrapping machines according to claim 1 wherein a preliminary roll is provided around which the cardboard strip travels on its way to said first feed roll, said preliminary roll having a groove in its circumference, a limit switch having an actuating element biased to enter said groove, the cardboard strip normally covering said groove and thereby preventing entry of said actuating element into said groove, and means to stop said rst feed roll, said cut-olf means and said carry-out rolls upon said actuating element entering said groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,037,330 4/1936 Jackson 156-594 2,041,889 5/1936 Wheeler 156-596 XR 2,473,656 6/ 1949 Lyon et al 156-589 3,075,569 1/1963 Blumberg et al. 156-541 XR EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. H. F. EPSTEIN, Assistant Examiner. 

